It is said that air travel is statistically one of the safest modes of transportation. The flights that do not land well or go missing make the news more than the 1000’s of those that complete a safe flight. Checklists used in the aviation industry are infamous for how well they assist pilots deal with disasters. However, a lot is to be said for the plane itself, which is built to stringent quality requirements, down to the last rivet. Many aerospace parts manufacturers are certified for AS9100. So, what is AS9100?
It is an internationally accepted standard that defines the requirements for a quality management system for companies. It is built on the foundation of ISO 9001, another globally recognized quality standard. It builds the framework for organizations to identify risks at all stages of the production or service realizations process. The standard sets the baseline for quality and once implemented within an organization is assessed and certified by independent accreditation bodies. So, a part produced by an AS9100 certified organization in India, Brazil or elsewhere will meet the basic quality requirements.
What is AS9100 prescribing that companies do to achieve this? As9100 is not prescriptive in its requirements. It defines the framework, and each company must then interpret the requirements as they best apply to what they do. The leadership of the organization must remain involved and is accountable for the effectiveness of the system. The systems are influenced by regulatory requirements, customer requirements and other business requirements as from various stakeholders. What is AS9100 requirements with respect to control of outsourced processes.
Organizations must control outsourced processes and remain responsible for the output of the process. Based on the performance of the vendor of the criticality of the parts etc., the type and extent of control may vary. AS9100 also requires organizations to determine the competence of personnel needed and then to take steps to achieve this competence. As9100 quality requirements must be flowed down to all suppliers in the supply chain and supply chain risks are to be considered and mitigated as appropriate.
What is AS9100 requirements for audits. External certification audits are conducted on a three-year cycle with annual surveillance audits in the intermediate years. Internal audit frequency is determined and based on the organization needs and the auditors used to conduct the audits must be competent. To achieve this competence, they should compete a certified AS9100 lead auditor training. QMII offers a PROBITAS Authentication lead auditor training in both virtual and on-site format. These stringent quality requirements in the supply chain as advocated by AS9100 help ensure planes meet the highest safety and quality requirements. Thus helping to reduce accidents.

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